NATCHEZ — Let’s be honest, most fish bought at Walmart end up being flushed down the toilet within a couple of weeks of their purchase.

Whether they were poorly cared for before purchase, or they were neglected afterwards remains to be seen, but what can certainly not be debated is that their typical life expectancy is not very high.

That is why Lee Scott’s fish are so remarkable.

For five years, he and his wife Evangeline have cared for their Walmart fish and for five years they have continued to grow.

“If they get any bigger, we are going to have to buy a 100-gallon tank,” he said. “We have already started doing the research.”

When The Dart landed on Auburn Avenue in Natchez Thursday, Lee was just getting home from work and was about to do his nightly routine of caring for his fish.

The fish have flourished because Lee approaches their care the same way he has approached his professional life.

“It’s not like work at all,” he said. “It’s creating something that you can admire.”

“And I am proud of these fish.”

He worked at International Paper for 31-years and after the mill closed in 2003, he started his own contracting business.

So, work has never quite been work for Lee and now even at 60 years old he is working all the time.

It was this work ethic that cost him his first marriage.

“She said I worked too much,” Lee said. “And I do, but I enjoyed working.”

“And I was doing it for my kids.”

Now semi-retired and married to his second wife for 20 years, he has learned to blend his work and personal lives.

“We have a bunch of projects that we do around the house together, as a team,” he said.

Along with the fish, they restored their house together and work on the back patio to be a gathering place for when their children come to visit.

It’s in these projects that Lee gets the most enjoyment.

“You get out of life what you put into it, that’s what my parents taught me, and I’ve found I’ve gotten a whole lot out of life.”